The first thing a doctor will
The first thing a doctor will want to do is take an x-ray to make sure you haven't fractured anything. After that, I hate to say it, but it sounds like MN. MN doesn't hurt me either...as long as I STAY OFF MY ASS, and that ain't gonna happen. It bothered me when walking around and especially if I was walking across anything soft, like carpet and grass, then the nerves would start to fire, not painful, just numbing and tingling. It's when I was running after so many miles the pain sets in.
You didn't really answer about how long you wore your toe orthotic though, or when you started wearing your toe orthotic, so I wonder if your using it kept this problem away and removing it made the problem surface.
I asked about past twinges of pain only because I have noticed my nerves firing occassionally but so seldom it didn't warrant my attention until after I became a runner. I'm sure it's not something that HAS to start when we are younger, but I was just wondering.
There is a test you can do to manipulate the metatarsals to reproduce a popping effect on the nerve/s that may be having the problem. This popping effect only takes place if you do indeed have a neuroma. If you do not have a neuroma, then it doesn't pop. It's not really painful to do, just uncomfortable. Okay, some may say it's painful. Other than having ultrasound or a costly MRI, it's one step in diagnosing MN. I found a site a while back that showed exactly how to do this, but I've spent a good half an hour looking for it, and I can't find it now. I also checked You tube (which has a lot of good videos on MN). But basically, hold your foot in your hand and press the sides of the foot inward, so that you are squeezing the metatarsals together. You will feel a popping sensation, and depending on how you do it, if you have more than one neuroma, you may feel popping in more than one area. Having two neuromas on one foot is rare; having both feet afflicted with neuromas is more rare; and having multiple neuromas on both feet is even more rare than that...so what's my FREAKIN' problem! I have two neuromas in each foot! GO FIGURE!
Anywho, please ask Dr. Mike if he knows of a video on how to manipulate the metatarsals for diagnosing MN or check around on the net for more info on this self-diagnosis method, and be sure to check out some of the videos on You Tube.
AND PLEASE keep me informed of what you find out.